Sinn Féin - On Your Side

Speaking this morning Sinn Féin Health spokesperson Deputy Louise O’Reilly has said the government’s failure to tackle the recruitment and retention crisis has meant that in some instances, under-qualified doctors are being appointed to posts in a wholly inappropriate manner.

Teachta O’Reilly said:

“There is a serious recruitment and retention crisis facing doctors across the state.

“This crisis has meant that the health service has not been able to attract and retain enough highly educated and trained doctors and to sometimes to fill these gaps under-qualified doctors have been appointed to roles in the health service, which is wholly inappropriate.

“Yesterday’s High Court proceedings where Mr Justice Peter Kelly stated that defective procedures for recruiting doctors represented a danger to patients laid bare the implications of the government’s failure to address the doctor recruitment and retention crisis and the failures of the HSE in recruitment practices.

“For years doctors and their unions have been raising these issues and highlighting the implications for the health service of recruitment and retention crisis.

"They have continuously stated that in some instances doctors were being hired even though they were unqualified or under-qualified to work in the Irish health service.

“Doctors have been flagging the issue of recruitment and retention for years now but it has fallen on deaf ears in government buildings.

“The government must take Mr Justice Peter Kelly’s observations as a wake-up call and start engaging with doctors and their unions and focus on addressing the causes of the crisis.

“The reality is that not addressing this crisis will continue to irreparably damage the health service and put patients at risk."